This page was developed to assist the HMS community in bringing HSRs onboard according to the University HSR policy and to explain additional HMS-specific requirements. 

A Harvard Sponsored Role (formerly known as POI) designates non-employee, non-student affiliations an individual may have in the Harvard community that support granting the individual access to resources, both digital and physical, under an appropriate level of oversight by the University. Harvard Sponsored Roles are necessary to differentiate affiliations to the University distinct from employee, student, or alum roles. 

A member of the Harvard community must act as the sponsor for a Harvard Sponsored Role (HSR) request, and in doing so, the HSR Sponsor provides a legitimate and verified business need to justify giving access to Harvard resources to the HSR. 

Harvard Sponsored Roles may not be used: 

  • In place of a formal appointment where individuals performing similar roles and duties hold an appointment 
  • To extend access for departing employees or other Harvard affiliates who wish to retain access to email, file shares, or other resources to which their employee role granted them privileges 

  • General information

    Who can be an HSR at HMS

    An individual with a legitimate need for access to Harvard and HMS space and digital resources for purposes that advance the business mission of Harvard or HMS and who also meets the definition of one of the HSR role types defined in appendices A, B, or C of the Harvard University HSR policy. 

    Special note on academic affiliates of HMS: Individuals who hold an academic appointment through HMS (for example, postdoctoral researchers, lecturers, instructors, assistant and associate professors, and professors) should not be brought on board as an HSR. People with an HMS academic appointment can already access Harvard and HMS space and resources. To access, affiliate appointees should claim their Harvard University ID (HUID), HarvardKey, and HMS account. Guidance is provided on the Getting Started page and via the HMS IT Service Desk at itservicedesk@hms.harvard.edu. HMS IT does not sponsor HSRs. 

    Note – All HSR requests must comply with the Harvard HSR policy, and all HSRs must be brought on board, renewed, or terminated using the new Harvard HSR portal. 

  • HSR sponsors and approvers

    HSRs must be sponsored and approved by authorized members of the HMS community. Sponsors must ensure that the HSRs they sponsor comply with the Harvard University HSR policy and all other applicable Harvard policies. At HMS, sponsors must be active, paid employees of HMS in employee class: A (Admin and Professional), F (Senior Faculty), J (Junior Faculty), O (Other Academic), and S (Support Staff). In addition, unpaid HMS faculty employed by HHMI and located in Quad-based pre-clinical department are eligible to sponsor HSRs. 

    Note – HMS hospital-affiliates are not eligible to sponsor HSRs at HMS.  

    • Training – Sponsors, sponsor delegates, and local and central approvers MUST take a one-time HSR training before sponsoring or approving HSRs in the University HSR portal. 
    • HSR Portal Roles – Local Approver, Administrator, Reviewer, and Central Approver roles for your department can be requested by emailing HMSHSR@hms.harvard.edu. Sponsor delegate access does not need to be requested 
    • Limitations – HMS personnel can be assigned multiple roles in the HSR system; however, the same person cannot be both the sponsor and the approver for the same HSR request. 
    • HSR role types – Harvard has identified Harvard Sponsored Role types that describe and define the circumstances under which a person qualifies for an HSR role and can be granted access by Harvard and HMS to various time-bound physical and digital resources. 
    • Expiring HSRs – HSRs must be renewed on or before their end date listed in the HSR Portal. 

  • Requesting HMS space and systems access for an approved HSR

    Consistent with HSR onboarding practices, approvers, departments, sponsors, and sponsor delegates must separately identify and request access to the computing or physical HMS resources that the HSR will need, after the request is submitted, to assign HSR status through the HSR Portal is approved. After the sponsored HSR has been approved: 

    1. Physical access to HMS space via a swipe card or key card is granted through a request made by your Departmental Administrator or Core Director to HMS Security. Contact your Department, Center, or Core's Administrator for assistance. 
    2. Sign in to the HSR Portal. Select the services the guest needs in the HSR portal, under the Service Eligibility section as part of your request. If an HMS account is needed, select School-specific Active Directory.
    3. Email account provisioning – Not all HSR roles qualify for an HMS email, per the HRS policy, and email provisioning will only be approved for eligible HSR role types. The HSR portal includes a check box for email if eligible. For more information on email eligibility, refer to Quick Guide to Harvard Sponsored Role Types 

    For a more extensive list of services, see our list of IT services by credential. 

    Approved HSRs will not be able to access any HMS resources until access has been requested through the processes outlined above. Access to space, materials, data, and systems is reviewed and approved case-by-case per their HSR role type and HMS and Harvard policies. Be aware that HSRs may not be granted access to all requested systems, data, space, or materials. 

Additional resources

Approvals and access for HMS research cores

A reference for core names, departmental approvals, and access requirements

Getting started with the Harvard Sponsored Role Portal

List of knowledge articles, organized by topic, so that you can learn more about this service (sign in required)